Debut (2)
"Arsenal on the counter! Luka! Luka! Shooooot! It's in! 4-1! Arsenal extends their lead in the 90th minute!"
"Oh, Luka is incredibly fast, isn't he? Finishing it cleanly with a one-touch shot. That strike showed a glimpse of his natural goal-scoring instinct."
"And with this goal, at 16 years and 37 days old, he has broken the record for Arsenal's youngest goalscorer. Ah, he's also broken the Premier League's youngest goalscorer record, hasn't he? The previous record was held by Everton's Vaughan, who scored against Sunderland at 16 years and 270 days. What a sensational debut for Luka Tachibana!"
— Gooner99: Whoa, what the hell, he's crazy fast lololol
— RedWhite: His speed is almost on par with Walcott? Insane...
— PLWatcher: Wait, is that really the PL youngest record?
— WengerOutIn: Wenger must be nutting right now lol
— YouthAcademy: Wow, how do their prospects keep exploding like this? First Fàbregas, then Wilshere, now Van Persie... damn, they're hoarding all the talent haha
— Newbie: Who is Luka? First time seeing him.
↳ AntiWeeb: Some Japanese kid lol. The J-weebs are losing their minds just because he scored an extra goal in garbage time lol
↳ Visuals: Is he Japanese? He looks foreign though?
↳ FactChecker: Half-Japanese, half-Portuguese. But he called out the Japanese FA on social media, so he probably won't play for Japan. Details in the link: http...
↳ Gutsy: Whoa, is this for real? lol. He's got massive balls.
↳ CR7Fan: Wait, he's a Ronaldo fanboy? Respect lol
— StatMan: They say this is the youngest goal in EPL history?
↳ MindBlown: Holy shit, how does a player like that come out of Japan?
↳ FactChecker: I told you, he's not Japanese lol. Check the link above, there's no way he's playing for the Japanese national team.
165: How did everyone find Nakajima's performance? Wasn't he pretty good? He took 4 shots today, and 3 of them were on target!
↳ That's our Nakajima. He secured a starting spot right away.
↳ Honestly, he wasn't that good. All 3 shots on target were weak and went straight to the keeper. 0 key passes, and his pass accuracy was only 71%.
↳ Nakajima started in the opening match, do you really have to be so negative?
171: Oh, the Arsenal game is on. Isn't there a Japanese player there too? Tachibana?
↳ I told you, he's not Japanese.
↳ If he knows we're cheering for him, Tachibana will come back.
↳ He's starting on the bench.
↳ Wait, is he even on the bench?
↳ Luka is Tachibana.
↳ He went by Tachibana until the friendly matches... I guess he really doesn't care about Japan anymore.
↳ No way, that can't be true.
183: Tachibana is subbed in!!!!
↳ Ah, so close! He could have scored right away.
206: Tachibana's debut goal!!!!!!!!
↳ Huh? I just tuned in, which game are you watching? Did one of our players score again?
↳ The Arsenal game!
↳ I turned it on, but I don't see any Japanese players?
↳ The guy celebrating right now is Tachibana.
↳ Isn't that Luka?
↳ Luka is Tachibana Luka.
↳ He looks completely foreign though.
↳ Stop asking and just search it up, will you? Tachibana is mixed-race.
↳ He's definitely overflowing with talent. What an insane goal. Who else among our players could pull off a shot like that?
↳ There's a reason Arsenal signed him.
↳ Pressuring Tachibana with those weird articles was the worst move ever! If Tachibana doesn't come back to Japan, I'm going to set the JFA building on fire.
↳ Don't worry. Tachibana is the son of the Yuichi Tachibana. He'll definitely return to the Japanese national team.
↳ How amazing would it be to have a player like him leading the Samurai Blue's attack? With Kagawa and Nakajima supporting him and Tachibana finishing, it would be magnificent.
229: I've been watching Tachibana play since middle school, and he's definitely gotten much better. He's at a proper adult professional level now.
↳ Then will we see him in the upcoming September international break? I want to see him in the senior national team.
↳ We probably will, right? Unless the manager is an idiot, he'll definitely call Tachibana up. What national team manager would pass on the youngest goalscorer in EPL history? The only issue is that traveling between Europe and Asia at such a young age isn't good for the body.
↳ Still, I hope we get to see him.
↳ The articles are already out. Just a few months ago, they were bashing Tachibana, and now they're praising him. It's honestly hilarious.
• [EPL] '16 years and 37 days' Japan's proud son Tachibana! Scores the youngest goal in EPL history!
• 'The birthplace of football' England! Thrilled by Japan's monster prodigy! Etched into history with the youngest goal in EPL history!
• "Is this truly an Asian forward?" Who is the Japanese player Wenger fell in love with at first sight?
• EPL Opening Match: Tears for Korea, Smiles for Japan! SON: 0 goals! Tachibana: 1 goal!
"Wow, Japan is going absolutely crazy. Oppa, did you see these articles?"
The opening match, the debut, the first goal. It was truly tragic that even on such a joyous day, I had to tutor them in English.
Because I was still underage, I couldn't join the team dinner hosted by Patrick Vieira. On the bright side, it meant I could go out for a meal with my family and Haruka Tsukishiro, who had come to watch my match. But once we returned from eating out, I was helplessly stuck at the desk.
Honestly, if it were just Luna, I would have begged off and rested, claiming I was too tired. But looking at Haruka, I couldn't bring myself to say it. Seeing her somehow reminded me of my younger self, who had crossed over to Portugal at a tender age.
Surviving in Europe as a pure Asian, not even mixed-race, was no easy feat. Those European bastards acted all progressive, but casual racism was practically a passive trait for them. Even as a robust young athlete, I had faced my fair share of discrimination.
Yet here was a delicate girl who didn't even play sports, attending school in Europe without any family to lean on. I couldn't help but worry about Haruka, seeing so much of my past self in her.
Through our conversations, I had found out that Haruka would be attending the same school as me. But since I wouldn't be at school often due to the league schedule, I couldn't be by her side all the time.
Moreover, the main thing those local kids loved to mock was pronunciation. Although Haruka was reasonably good at English, her pronunciation inevitably carried that distinct Japanese accent. I needed to help her iron it out before school started, so the words "let's rest today" simply wouldn't come out of my mouth.
"Wow, you're right. The news is completely dominated by you, Luka."
Still, no matter how much I worried about Haruka, I was slightly curious about what those Japanese media outlets—who had branded me a traitor and bullied Luna—were writing now.
Well, it's not like looking at it for a few minutes will hurt. Should I take a peek?
Peering directly at Haruka's phone felt a bit rude, so I turned my head toward the phone Luna was holding instead.
"Look at this. They were cursing you out just a moment ago, and now look at them. What a bunch of absolute bastards."
"Lu-Luna."
Haruka grabbed Luna's arm, perhaps startled by Luna's sudden swearing, or maybe feeling embarrassed as a Japanese person herself.
Me? I wasn't particularly surprised to hear Luna swearing so fluently in English. After all, people always learn swear words first when picking up a new language. Having lived in England for a few weeks now, Luna's cursing sounded quite natural.
Rather than where Luna had learned those words, I was curious about something else.
"Haruka."
"Yeah?"
"But, what do you think of me?"
"Eh...?"
"O-Oppa?!"
Haruka froze instantly, and Luna shrieked. Wait, did I ask something I shouldn't have? With all the hate I received in Japan, isn't it natural to wonder how she can treat me so normally? But why is Luna reacting like this?
"I mean, have you never seen the articles about me in Japan? Didn't you say you like football?"
"Ah... Th-that?"
"Yeah."
"I always thought you were just being witch-hunted, Luka. My dad is really interested in football, and he knows Uncle Yuichi."
Ah, so that was why she treated me so normally.
"Whew..."
Luna let out a sigh as she watched us. Was she remembering the bullying she went through because of me? Or maybe she felt embarrassed that Haruka might find out about it. If we kept talking, that story might come up, and Luna was still at an age to be sensitive about such things.
"I'll keep your secret, Luna," I whispered in her ear, trying to reassure her.
"Wh-what are you talking about?!"
Luna suddenly spun around and kicked me away. She really should have played football. Inheriting our father's athletic genes, her leg strength was no joke.
Where does she get this kind of power...? ...Ah, actually, I think I know.
I looked away from Luna's thighs—which she constantly complained about needing to diet on, even though they looked perfectly fine to me—and saw Haruka covering her mouth, giggling.
"You two really get along well. I'm jealous. I'm an only child."
"Jealous? Unni, you wouldn't say that if you had a brother like him. Do you know what happened when we were kids? We used to have a computer in the living room, and I was using it. But he came home after losing a match and literally kicked me off the chair!"
Luna brought up a childhood memory that I couldn't even recall. No matter how much I searched Luka's memories, nothing like that came up.
"Heh, really? Luka did that? He doesn't seem like the type at all."
"That's fake news. Pure fabrication."
"Fabrication?! Wow, you kicked me like that and you don't even remember?!"
...I take it back. Looking at Luna's genuinely aggrieved expression, it must have actually happened. Since it wasn't in Luka's memories, the original Luka must have kicked her and completely forgotten about it.
"...Well, he's a decent human being now."
"Y-yeah. What matters is the present."
"...I'm sorry."
"Apologizing when you don't even remember. Well, it wasn't a hard kick, you just pushed the chair away, so I'll let it slide."
"Ah! Luka, but where did you say the next match is?"
Sensing the slight awkwardness in the air, Haruka quickly changed the subject. It was something I didn't even remember, and since Luna brought it up in front of Haruka, she clearly didn't hold a serious grudge.
"I think it's in Turkey."
"Oh, Turkey? That's far..."
"Ah, Oppa. Did you get the tickets?"
"Yeah, four tickets as usual."
"If you only play for a few minutes like today, I'm not going to watch."
"But you still got to see me score."
"Still, I wanted to see you play more..."
"I'll probably start in the next match."
Considering what Arsène Wenger had told me after today's match, there was a high probability I would start instead of Robin van Persie, who had started today. Besides the goal, my overall performance today was arguably better than Van Persie's.
"Really? That's great."
Luna looked bright, while Haruka seemed to be hesitating. I could easily guess what was on her mind. She was probably wondering if it was appropriate for her, a non-family member, to travel all the way to Turkey to watch my match.
But my parents weren't the type to leave a friend's daughter home alone. Even if Haruka insisted on paying her own way, they would probably cover her expenses.
Knowing that, Haruka was likely worried about being a burden. But studying abroad in Europe and missing out on a high-level match like the UEFA Super Cup? Especially when I had free tickets? As her senior in studying abroad, I couldn't let that slide.
"Haruka, you should come and watch too."
"Huh? Would that really be okay?"
At my words, Haruka's face instantly brightened, though she still glanced between Luna and me, checking our reactions.
"Of course it is. I'll talk to my parents. Since I scored today because you guys came, you have to come to the next one too. It's like a good luck charm. You know, a jinx?"
"Mmh..."
"Yeah, let's go together, Unni. We eat meals together. We're practically family. How could we leave you behind?"
"A-alright."
Watching Luna link arms with Haruka to convince her, I felt a pang of envy.
When I went to Portugal, I had no one to look after me and was completely lonely. But Haruka at least had a like-minded friend—no, a younger sister. Seeing the two of them get along so well warmed my heart.
So tomorrow is a rest day, and we fly out the day after? The schedule is tight. But at least it's the beginning of the season, so things will ease up after this.
Flying straight to Turkey with barely any rest after a match was grueling, but to survive as a professional in Europe, this was nothing. Compared to the notorious Boxing Day schedule, this was child's play.
After that, the day of my first—well, second—debut ended as I tutored the girls in English. And after our rest day, we arrived in Turkey.
"...Here is the starting lineup. ...And starting at center forward, Tachibana."
Fortunately, I was spared the embarrassment of sitting on the bench after inviting my family and friends.
Whew, Bayern Munich... It's going to be tough, but we have to win this, right?
Unlike the friendly match we played in the US, this was a fully-fit Bayern Munich. Instead of being subbed on for a few minutes in a match that was already won, the UEFA Super Cup—which could be considered my true debut—was now just a day away.